**It was a bright, sunny evening, and the turmoil from yesterday had subsided.** Birger had given Arjana permission to get up and move around a bit, provided she didn’t overexert herself. With a hint of excitement, Arjana explored her surroundings while Birger prepared dinner. It was the least she could do to stay positive after all that had happened. The first place she stumbled upon was the washroom at the back of the house. Next, she found the kitchen near the front door. Inside the kitchen, she noticed Birger struggling to cut potatoes, his hands shaking as if he had to force himself to continue. "Um... Mister Birger, are you okay?" she asked. "Yes, I... I'm... not very good at cooking," he hesitantly admitted. "Can I help?" With some hesitation, he handed her the knife. "Do you know how to cook?" "Yes! I used to cook all the time with my father!" she beamed, carefully cutting the vegetables. "The king cooks? He didn't have servants to do that for him?" he asked, stepping away to grab more ingredients from the shelf. "He did, but sometimes he preferred to cook. It was a way for him to spend time with us when he finished work." "Your father, what’s his name, do you remember?" "Yes, his name was Kokolo, and my brother was Monoko," she said, reminiscing about her family. It dawned on her that the last time she saw them was a couple of months ago. She didn’t know where they were or if they were okay. She didn't even know if she still had a kingdom to return to. She paused from cutting the potatoes. "Mr. Bramblewood, where am I? Is it possible for you to take me home when I get better?" she asked. "I don't know, youngin’, it depends on how far your kingdom is," he replied before walking down the hallway to the back and returning with a scroll in his hand. "Come here, youngin'." he said as he unfolded the scroll, revealing a map. "Point to where the Paria Kingdom is here." Arjana examined the map and recognized the Brymshire Empire, but when she looked for the Paria Kingdom, it wasn’t there. "…It’s… not on here…" she whimpered. "Where would it be if it was?" Birger asked, intrigued. "Right here," she pointed, "where it says Galupa territory." "Galupa? When did Galupa become Paria?" She thought hard, holding her head as she tried to jog her memory. "I think my father said he founded the kingdom when I was four." "Maybe… this map hasn’t been updated to include your kingdom," he grunted, a bit frustrated. Arjana didn’t know how to respond, and an awkward silence settled between them. Could her kingdom really be too new to be placed on a map? It couldn’t be... "Sir, where am I?" she asked quietly. He shook his head before pointing to the map at a location across the ocean. Arjana's eyes widened at the distance between her current location and her home. "You are in newly occupied territory of the Prioria Empire." "Prioria..? How did I wind up here!? I don’t recall traveling this far!" she exclaimed, starting to panic. Birger, sensing the young girl’s distress, put away the map. "Youngin’, stay calm. When you get better, I promise I'll make it my responsibility to get you home," he reassured her. She steadied herself, trying to remain calm, but so many thoughts raced through her mind. How had she gotten overseas? Did the Emperor take her to Prioria? Was there a mistake? What had happened between June and Spring that led to her being in Prioria? Taking a deep breath, she tried to remain calm as tears began to trickle down her face. "Promise...?" she whimpered. "I give you my word, little one," he answered firmly. He stood up and patted her on the head to comfort her. "The ingredients are in the cabinets, so you can cook whatever you wish. I'll be drawing your bath when you are ready," he stated before walking down the hallway. Arjana, still overwhelmed and puzzled by this turn of events, began to tear up. She struggled to take a deep breath as she tried to cook something for herself, to get her mind off her situation. Arjana went to the cabinets and pulled out some fruit and vegetables. She sniffled before grabbing a few things. "I can… make mashed potatoes and poached fruit for now," she said to herself as she continued to look through the cabinets. Not satisfied with the lack of choices, she opened the bottom cabinets to see if there was more food. Upon checking, she found a jar full of gray and white mushrooms. "Oh! I can make roasted mushrooms!" she thought to herself and prepared to chop them up for dinner. --- As night fell, Arjana waited for the poached fruits and mashed potatoes to cool on the counter. The mushrooms were still roasting in a skillet over the fire, filling the room with a rather dry aroma. Concerned, Arjana walked over to check on the mushrooms, sensing something was amiss. The mushrooms had turned a strange purple color and were secreting a blue substance. "Maybe… I didn’t cook them right…" she muttered to herself as she took the skillet off the heat and sniffed it. Her face winced at the oily smell as she set the skillet on the counter. "Something isn’t right…" she thought before Birger walked in. "Youngin’, your bath—" he stopped and froze when he saw the mushrooms on the counter. "Mister Birger, can you help me with the mushrooms?" He quickly rushed over, grabbed the skillet, and threw the mushrooms into the fireplace. "Arjana, you didn’t eat any of those mushrooms, did you?!" he asked, his voice filled with worry. "N-no. I didn’t. Why? Am I in trouble?" "Those mushrooms are not meant to be heated on an open fire. You’re supposed to eat them raw; heating them makes them poisonous," he explained with a sigh of relief. He put out the fire and carefully fanned the smoke out the window. As he did this, Arjana made a bowl of poached fruit and mashed potatoes. Feeling guilty, she offered the bowl to Birger.

"Arjana, please, just go eat," he said dismissively as he fanned the smoke away. "…Please, I want to share." Birger hesitated for a brief moment before accepting the bowl and placing it next to him. "I’ll eat it when I’m done. Go on and eat at the table, Arjana," he said, patting her on the head. Satisfied, Arjana smiled before sitting at the table to eat the remaining bit of food she had left. --- Arjana finished her meager meal and made her way to the washroom, where Birger had prepared a bath. Grabbing a washcloth, she approached the wooden tub, its clear water inviting. Testing the temperature, she deemed it warm enough to enter. As she lowered herself into the bath, an excruciating pain suddenly shot through her body. She screamed, collapsing onto the floor, clutching her thigh in agony. Her breath came in short, panicked gasps. The sound of hurried footsteps filled the air as Birger burst into the washroom, quickly averting his eyes from her vulnerable state. "Little one, are you okay?!" he asked, his voice laced with worry. "It… hurts… It hurts so much…" she managed to whimper through gritted teeth. Birger left swiftly, returning with his pouch of supplies. "Where does it hurt?" he asked, dipping a cloth into a jar of ointment. "My upper thigh…" she responded weakly, her face growing pale. Birger's eyes widened as he examined the area, freezing in shock at the sight of a wound he hadn't noticed before. The silence was palpable as he stared, his expression stricken. Suddenly, he dashed out of the room, the sounds of frantic rummaging and moving objects echoing through the washroom. He returned in a hurry, throwing various items into the bath—herbs, oils, and tiny pink flowers. "I need to move you now. You have to soak in the water, okay?" he said urgently. "But… it’ll hurt…" she whimpered, tears streaming down her face. Without waiting for further consent, Birger carefully lifted her and placed her back into the bath. Arjana yelped and cried out as she was immersed, but the pain gradually ebbed away. Her breathing steadied, and she calmed as the pain subsided. "Are you… okay?" he asked, his voice trembling. "Yes, sir… What… happened..? What… was it?" she asked weakly, too drained to examine the wound herself. "A very, very nasty cut," he said, rummaging through his bag before producing a strange, grainy white block. "Hold still, I need to wash you with this," he said urgently. Too weak to protest, she allowed him to assist her as she bathed.

****

Night fell, and Birger administered more medicine to Arjana than he had when she first awakened. Some of the herbs made her nauseous, but Birger insisted she take them. He helped her to bed and gave her a final examination for the evening. "Does anywhere else hurt?" he inquired. She pointed to the back of her neck. "Sometimes it hurts back here." Birger examined the area before applying a strange purple ointment. Satisfied with his work, he left the room briefly, returning with large stalks of purple plants. "What are those?" Arjana asked. "They're to make your room smell nice. The pollen also has healing properties," he explained, arranging the flowers around the room. "Don't touch them, and let me know when they wilt," he added, tying some of them to her bed. As he prepared to leave, a question popped into her mind. "Sir... where is your friend?" He paused as she continued, "I would like to thank him for saving me." Birger sighed and hesitated before admitting, "He's... not here... but all you need to know is that his name is Izzimar. Now, get some rest." He left the room and closed the door. Arjana decided it was best to sleep, so she lay down for the night. "Izzimar..." she whispered as she closed her eyes, finally able to rest peacefully. --- The next morning, Birger knocked on her door. "Arjana, may I come in? I have your medicine," he called out. "Yes, you may," she answered groggily. He entered with a tray of ointments and medicine. She sat up and stretched as he brought a small stool to sit across from her. Birger gently placed his hand on her forehead. "How are you feeling? Are you still hurting?" "Not right now. Why did the cut hurt so badly?" Birger seemed momentarily lost in thought, unsure how to respond. He grabbed a gauze and smeared some ointment onto it. Finally, he answered, "It appears the cut got infected. That can happen when you don't clean a wound properly," he explained. "May I?" Arjana hesitated but eventually nodded. Birger carefully moved her gown up to inspect the wound. Arjana panicked upon seeing it for the first time—a deep slash, as if someone had tried to cut her carotid artery. She felt nauseous at the sight of the open tissue before Birger applied the gauze. Immediately after, she felt a searing pain creep up her thigh. She began to cry and attempted to remove the gauze, but Birger restrained her with one arm. Quickly and calmly, he grabbed the red medication from the tray. "Here, take this," he said, barely finishing the sentence before she grabbed the vial and downed the bitter liquid. The pain subsided as quickly as it had come, and she calmed down. "Mister Birger... how did I get hurt?" she asked weakly. "I... don't know. All I remember is that Izzimar found you." "What were my injuries?" Birger reached into a small pouch on his waist and pulled out a notebook. He read it briefly before answering. "You had a head injury, a small concussion, and a few cuts here and there. Some of them got infected, but others were minor. You also had a bit of venom, maybe from a snake bite." He quickly closed the book and shoved it back into the pouch.

“Right now, I think it's best that I monitor that wound until you get better.”

“Just that one?”

“Yes. And the one on your neck.”, he adds as he gets up to go to the workbench.

Curious, she follows him to the workbench again, wobbling slightly to not disturb the gauze too much. He looks down at her in slight annoyance, but sighs as he looks through the jars. He grabs a small root from the jar and sets it aside to grab a purple thorny stick from another. Birger moves over to his water basin and soaks the two items.

“What are you making?”

“Medicine. Some items require soaking in water to bring out their healing properties.”

“May I help?”

“Another time, youngin’, we can’t have you making poison now can we?” he teases as she pouts.

He takes them out of the water and grinds them up in the mortar and pestle. Arjana watched in awe as he works to heat the basin and stir in the two items. She finds the science of it all so fascinating, she can’t help but to get a bit too close to the boiling water. Birger sees this and gently pulls her away from the boiling mixture. A slow lilac smoke comes from the basin, filling the room with a spicy aroma. She starts coughing lightly as he scoops up a bit of the lilac mixture and places it in a vial.

“Do I drink that yet?” Arjana asked nervously, eyeing the now lumpy liquid. “No, I’ll mix it with a base to use as ointment for the wound on your neck,” Birger replied, placing the vial into one of his leather pockets. “Once it cools, that is,” he added, sitting back down on the stool, clearly exhausted. Arjana sat on the bed across from him, deciding to wait with him. “Mr. Birger, am I your only patient?” she inquired. “No, Izzimar is another patient of mine,” he responded. “How old is he?” she asked. “He’s around your age,” Birger said, giving her a quick glance. “Just about… maybe fifteen?” “You don’t know his age?” she questioned further. “No, he’s a runaway. He comes and goes as he pleases. He never mentioned his age or birthday to me, but I’m guessing he’s fifteen.” After this explanation, a long silence settled between them. Arjana couldn’t help but wonder about the possibility of seeing other people outside of the cabin. “Will anyone else come this way seeking your help?” she asked. “Maybe. I haven’t had too many people come this way,” Birger admitted. She looked down in thought, feeling that creeping sense of isolation once again. Desperate for some semblance of normalcy, she asked, “Will I ever meet Izzimar?” “Why would you want to see him?” Birger asked. “I… I just haven’t seen anyone else since I’ve been here…” she whimpered. Birger stood up and reassured her, “You’ll be able to see him. He’s just on a trip for a bit. When he gets back, you can see him in person. Right now, just focus on getting better.” He went to the workbench and mixed the vial’s contents for her ointment. Returning to her, he gently applied the medicine to the wound on her neck. As she waited, Arjana’s restlessness stirred within her. She wanted to go home, to go outside, to see people. All these thoughts filled her mind as she prepared to face another day of recovery.